It is the driest town in the driest state of the driest inhabited continent,
and this week the Australian Outback town of Oodnadatta certainly felt the
summer heat.

As Australia has endured
a week-long heatwave sparking bushfires around the country, the tiny
town in South Australia – which boasts of being the hottest and driest Down
Under – has borne the brunt of the extreme conditions, with temperatures
over the past fortnight averaging a scorching 45C (113F).

It has been so hot that the ice cream freezers broke down, tarmac on the roads
has begun to melt, and the local roadhouse had